Totally off-topic, but what do you think about Great Danes? They are massive! I've been reading lately that they're really good with kids and very docile. Their lifespans are really short, though. :(

Our neighbors have a GD and he's a lot of fun. I don't think he realizes how big he is though as when he runs over full speed to say hi I feel like I have to brace for imminent impact. :) My mom also had a friend who bred them. They are really wonderful dogs, but like all dogs need training.

My grandma had a Great Dane when I was little and he was terrific with me. As a toddler, I could pull his ears and fur and he'd never get mad. I'd crawl up on his back and he'd walk around :D.

My dad said he used to follow me around and make sure that I was OK. If I got to close to the pond or something dangerous like that, he'd try and steer me away.

We have a 9 week old puppy now, and he has separation anxiety so I miss dogs that take care of me instead!

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My mom adopted a "BorderJack" a few months ago. Half border collie, half Jack Russel Terrier. Imagine if you will, a short, 21 lbs fuzzy faced dog with border collie body markings with brown face markings. The herding instinct is extremely strong in her, on her walks she zig zags back and forth, if you let her she will circle you (we've almost trained that out of her), she likes to have you always in her sight line. She has the digging instinct of a Jack Russel, she loves to be picked up and handled, loves to sleep under the covers, some of the Terrier barkiness the combined vertical leap of both of them (seriously, she can leap from floor to my shoulder, and I'm 5'10). But the herding behaviors are pretty funny to watch..at a recent candle party at my mom's house, there was a 2 yr old running circles around the house filled with 14 women...all Shadow did was follow the little girl around at about 3 paces back. She didn't mind the little girl pulling her wiskers, her tail, trying to pick her up, throwing a tea towel on her (wish we could have put the kid on a leash!).

I think that all the things that I find quirky about her are what make me think she would be a good therapy dog. She's ridiculously smart and trained really easy (from being a mad woman to doing all commands with clicker and no food reward in less than 3 weeks). She's also small and very very cuddly. I'd love to be able to take her to rehabs or residences...gotta get that Canine Good Citizen distinction first though! (yeah shelter dog :))

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I dog-sit for our neighbors' Great Dane from time to time. She's the sweetest, goofiest thing ever. She gets along great with all the neighborhood kids - Gentle Giant is definitely a phrase commonly used to describe her.

It's funny because her name is Thumper, a name she earned as a happy puppy with a constantly-wagging tail. When my kids watched Bambi and paid attention to the animals' names, they couldn't believe that something as small as a bunny could have the same name as the neighborhood dog that towers over them.

Although she's 130lbs, and quite intimidating-looking in size, I have never seen her act aggressively towards anyone. Plus, one of the great things about her is that I've never heard her bark. Ever. I don't know that I want to be around if she ever decides to! (Her owners' biggest complaint is that they can't leave anything on the counters or else it gets knocked off by her tail.)

We have enough dogs right now, but when the day comes that we're dogless and ready for another, I'm totally up for getting a Great Dane. :D

Ooooo, I love Great Danes. There are a lot of them at the dog park we frequent. They're so elegant - so tall and lanky, but very graceful in their movements. They love to play with each other and the other dogs, and like someone else said, they don't seem to realize how big they are. They play with small dogs, even puppies, as if they're equals. One of the reasons they need training is because of their size - imagine trying to walk or control an out-of-control Great Dane!

I also hear they make good watch dogs because they have a deep bark.

You can look into Delta Society. That's what it's for.

They also need training because their size allows them to get into trouble that dogs typically can't get into (i.e. trying to get food out of hot skillets, hot dogs off the grill, etc.).